The invention is a fluidic device which is more particularly described as a fluid pressure operated switching device adapted to perform logical functions.
Fluidic devices are typically of two types -- the so-called pure fluid devices having no moving elements, and devices having moving elements. Fluidic devices utilizing moving elements such as drops of mercury, pills and deformable rings are well known in the prior art and have been used as binary counters, on-off switches, and memory devices.
In one example of the prior art, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,420, issued to P. J. Campbell, a fluidic device includes two compartments connected by a passage and a globule of mercury disposed in one of the compartments. To move the globule from one compartment to the other, a pressure pulse is introduced via a pressure input path into the compartment to be vacated by the globule. Fluidic devices such as the one described above require pressure inputs to each compartment and are not capable of performing any logical functions without either coupling several of such devices into a large complex structure or intercoupling such devices with a fluidic device which has no moving elements and which requires an additional constant power source.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a simple, fluid pressure operated device.
Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, deformable moving element, fluid pressure operated device capable of performing various logical functions.
These and other objects of the invention are realized in an illustrative embodiment thereof in which a fluidic device consists of a housing having operate and release compartments separated by a passage. The operate compartment connects to a pressure source for forcing a deformable moving element from either compartment into a deformation chamber connected to the release compartment. The element is deformed to increase its potential energy by an amount which is sufficient to effect the element's movement from the deformation chamber to the operate compartment upon termination of the pressure.
A feature of the invention is a pressure means for forcing the deformable moving element into the deformation chamber to increase the element's energy by an amount which is sufficient to effect the element's movement from the deformation chamber to the operate compartment upon termination of the pressure.
Another feature of the invention is that the pressure means consists of only one input port and only one vent port.
Another feature of the invention is that a deformable moving element, fluid pressure operated device can perform plural logical functions.